Onaji Chi
by New Warrior of Fire
Summary: After being captured by Rin Jyu Den, Retsu learns the truth of what happened to his brother.
1. Left with a two sided triangle

It was still twilight on the roof of SCRTCH headquarters, and Retsu was there before the sun. He had already been up there for two hours practicing his forms, but had only just warmed up. Normally he would not have been up quite this early; this, however, was not a normal day. Two major events shared the day's date. One: The dawning of Retsu's eighteenth year of life. Two: The fourth anniversary of the day his beloved older brother Tetsu, died in battle by the hand of Rin Jyu Den. Sadly, his body had never been recovered; he didn't even have a gravesite to visit. Jyuuken was Retsu's last connection to him.

Retsu put his heart into his every technique as he did the forms his brother had known by heart. Somehow, he felt as though Tetsu was with him in every motion; in every single pulsing flow of their shared Geki.

_For you, Tetsu,_ he thought_. For you I also became a disciple of Geki Jyuuken, and we will do this together every day, until the day I join you._

As the dawn broke, Ran silently approached him on the rooftop. She waited until Retsu had finished his last form.

"Hey. I thought I'd find you here," she said. "That's just like you, Retsu. You can't even take a break from training on your birthday."

He turned to face her. "Hi, Ran," he said. Retsu went over to her. "This is no mere training. It is a celebration of life. To be honest, I don't really think of it as my birthday anymore."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Four years ago today, my brother, Tetsu, died in a fierce battle against Rin Jyu Den."

Ran's face reddened. "Oh, Retsu . . ." she said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked . . ."

He cut her off. "No, it's fine," he told her. "I want to talk about Tetsu. I love remembering him; what an amazing brother and martial artist he was." Retsu sighed and sat down. "Whenever I do Jyuuken, I fell like he's still here."

Ran looked at him, unsure of what to say. In spite of what he had just said, she could see that he missed his brother a lot.

Suddenly, the morning peace was shattered by a loud cry from somewhere in the lower levels of SCRTCH. "ZowaZowa!"

"Let's go," Ran said. Retsu nodded and they took off.

The three Rangers arrived at the scene of the attack, in full morph. The area was swarmed by Rinshi, led by Mele and her latest undead monster.

"Mele!" Jan cried. "What are you up to now?"

"Gekiranger," she oozed. "Today you will learn the true nature of the Geki Jyuuken that you all hold so dear. You will discover the gravity of the weakness to which you have subscribed. Sabakudeshinu! Step forth and defeat the Gekirangers!"

The monster, which resembled some sort of beetle, stepped forward. "I will fully exact upon you the superiority of Rin Jyu Den!"

Mele cried "Rinshi! Attack!"

"Jan, Ran!" Retsu said. "You handle the Rinshi. I'll handle Sabakudeshinu."

"Right!" they exclaimed in unison, and the battle began. Ran and Jan ran into the middle of the swarm of Rinshi, Geki Sabers and Geki Hammer drawn.

"It looks like it's just you and me!" Sabakudeshinu told Retsu, running toward him.

"Geki Fan!" Retsu exclaimed. His fan came to him just in time to block a punch. Sabakudeshinu threw one loopy strike after another, all expertly deflected by Retsu's Geki Fan. Retsu carefully watched his movement and quickly found an opening. He adeptly slashed Sabakudeshinu several times, then caught him in the stomach with a side kick that sent him flying. He landed at Mele's feet, and in her disgust for his failure she drove her heel into his back.

"You call yourself a warrior?" She said to his pathetic form. "You are not worthy of fighting under Rio-sama. Now, unless you want me to re-kill you myself, you will get up and complete your simple task!"

He crawled just out of her reach and then turned to face Retsu once again. "You'll pay for that, Ranger. Scarab Ken Ringi! Desert Illusion!" Sabakudeshinu drew his twin claws together, drawing his dark power. Then he unleashed it, in the form of a spiraling dirt devil that completely enveloped Retsu.

As each one of the grains of sand in the dirt devil hit Retsu's body, his Geki suit shot sparks. He tried to block them with his Geki fan, but the powerful wind knocked it out of his hand. Finally, he could take no more. Retsu painfully demorphed, and as he did, he screamed.

Ran and Jan looked to their suffering teammate. "RETSU!" Jan cried.

"Jan . . . Ran . . ." Retsu gasped out wearily as he fell to his knees. Then, before their eyes, he faded into oblivion.

"NO!" Ran screamed.

Mele smiled upon the triumph over her enemy. "Sabakudeshinu, that's good for now. Let's go." And with that, Mele, Sabakudeshinu and all of the Rinshi disappeared.

Ran ran over to were Retsu had been before he faded away. She reverently picked up his fallen fan, and as she did, her morph shattered.

"Retsu," she said weakly. A single tear fell and splattered onto Retsu's fan.


	2. Death by desert

Ran and Jan returned to SCRTCH headquarters, completely at a loss as to what they should do. Their teammate had just vanished along with the rest of Rin Jyu Den leaving no way for them to follow.

_Poor Retsu,_ Ran thought. _Not only was he having a hard time because of this painful anniversary, but now he has been captured by Rin Jyu Den! How am I going to explain this to Master Shafu?_

They entered the main area of the base, where Master Shafu and Miki were waiting for them.

"Ah, you're back." Master Shafu greeted them. "But, where is Retsu?"

Wordlessly, Ran produced Retsu's fan, her expression downcast. "He's disappeared. Sabakudeshinu got him."

Master Shafu's face took on a serious expression. "Yes, I see. Scarab Ken Desert Illusion Ringi."

"You've heard of it?" Ran asked.

He nodded gravely. "Scarab Ken Ringi has two devastating properties. The one used on Retsu is used to transport an opponent to an alternate dimension; one of illusion and suffering."

"What is the other one?" Ran asked.

"The other has the ability to preserve one's opponent so that neither the mind or the body ages. Anyone who it is used on will be trapped in suspended animation until the Scarab Ken user who originally froze them reverses it."

Ran sighed deeply. "What can we do to get Retsu back?" she asked.

Master Shafu shook his head. "Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. Retsu must find his own way out. It's up to him to break the illusion. Until then, all we can do is wait."

Jan looked at the floor sadly. "I feel UjaUja for Retsu," he said softly.

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Retsu slowly awakened, finding himself lying facedown in a pile of sand. He picked himself up and looked around.

"Wh-where am I?" he said as he rose to his feet. The driving winds had disappeared, but so had the city. The place he was in now seemed to be an expansive desert. He looked around, but saw nothing, except for miles of golden sand with no discernible end, and the scorching sun.

"Jan!" he called. "Ran!" But his teammates were nowhere to be seen.

Without really knowing what he was doing, Retsu started walking. "Maybe I can find a way out of here," he said to himself. "I at least have to try."

Retsu wandered through the desert for what seemed like hours. Under the beating heat of the unsetting sun, he could feel all the water in his body slowly evaporate. He looked back to see how far he'd gone, but there were no footprints. Not one of his steps left an impression in the shifting desert sand.

_If only I could feel water pouring down my throat, if only for a moment_, Retsu thought.

Then he passed out.


	3. Rio's Wrath

When Retsu awoke, he could feel water pouring down his throat. And into his lungs, and all over his body. He sputtered and jolted upright, only to see Mele standing over him, dumping water onto him.

She threw her bucket aside. "Rio-sama, he's awake," she called.

_Rio!_ Retsu tried to stand up, but he found that he couldn't move beyond where he was sitting. His arms and legs were bound to the ground by a heavy set of chains, and his Geki Changers and Jyuuken jacket were gone.

Rio walked into the prison cell with an arrogant smirk on his face. He stopped just outside of Retsu's range to gloat at him. "Well, isn't this delicious. One of the pupils of the great Shafu, a prisoner in my fortress of evil."

"Rio! What do you plan to do with me?"

Rio chuckled evilly. "You flatter yourself, little Jaguar. This isn't just about you. It's my plan for revenge against all who have tried to stop me; the Geki Jyuuken users! Your friends will taste an agonizing death, and you, for your interference, will experience a pain beyond imagination."

"No!" Retsu shouted. "You already have me here. I don't care what you do to me, but leave my friends out of it!"

"You misunderstand," Rio cooed. "Your friends will die, but you will have to live with the pain of loss." He chuckled. "Just like you did with your brother."

Retsu's eyes flashed, and in that moment, he felt an intense ache deep in the hollow area of his heart that had once been filled by his brother.

Rio laughed diabolically. "And the best part," he said, pausing to grin wickedly. "Your brother never even died!"

"Wh-what?" Retsu asked, bewildered. "He didn't . . . but then . . . where is he?"

"Little Jaguar, meet your undoing."

An unfamiliar figure came forward, clad in black armor with silver accents. His appearance was eerily familiar; his armor looked strangely like that of the Gekirangers. He even had what looked like Geki Changers.

"Power down," Rio ordered.

His minion nodded obediently and deactivated his armor. Underneath, the clothes he wore looked just like the uniforms worn at SCRTCH, and he was wearing Retsu's blue Jyuuken jacket. But what really caught Retsu's attention was his face; a painfully familiar face that he hadn't seen for many years.

"It can't be . . ." he said faintly. "Tetsu?"

"That's right," Rio said. "The man who used to be your brother now fights under me."

"But . . . how?"

"Sabakudeshinu's ringi," he said. "He trapped your brother in a state of suspended animation, and during that time, I slowly corrupted his mind, bleeding it of all its disgusting love, and memories of you. Only now has the process been completed."

"Tetsu, don't listen to him!" Retsu shouted. "You're stronger then this. Remember how much you love Jyuuken; your desire for justice!"

Tetsu didn't respond. He only stared blankly ahead with his clouded eyes.

Rio laughed. "He can't hear you. Now only my voice can penetrate his dark mind."

"No . . . Tetsu . . ." Retsu's voice faltered as his eyes welled up with tears.

"And I didn't even get to the good part yet," Rio said. "By my adaptation of your Geki Changer technology in his hands, your friends will taste death!"

Mele smiled upon Retsu's suffering. Rio was pleased, and the defeat of the Geki Jyuuken users was at hand. Things could only get better from here.

Rio turned to Tetsu. "Now, my soulless warrior, go out and fulfill your destiny!"

Wordlessly, Tetsu fell to one knee and bowed to Rio as only a member of the Rin Jyu Den would. Then he left.

"Mele," Rio said. "I have something for you."

Mele looked to her master, and the flaming feelings of life were once more ignited within her.

Rio tossed Retsu's Geki Changers to Mele, who adeptly caught them. "It is only fitting that this pathetic whelp should be tortured by his own weapons. To make his screams even more delicious, Mele, I want you to cause him great physical torment to go along with his internal suffering. His Changers are now yours to use."

Mele held the Changers in her hands, and felt the intense power of Rio-sama's gift, coupled with the burning desire to use them to bring Rio-sama the greatest screams, and to magnify his own power.

"I am honored," she whispered, slipping the Geki Changers onto her hands. "I will make his body and soul howl together as one, and complete his anguish." Then she, too, saluted Rio in the Rin Jyu Den way. "I will do this with all my love for you."

"Excellent," Rio said with an arrogant smirk. He then left to resume his meditation, shutting the door behind him.

"I'm really going to enjoy this," Mele said to herself. She smiled as she activated Retsu's changers.

Retsu looked up in horror. He struggled against the chains, but it was no use. He was completely trapped, and for a moment, he felt the helpless end for all that he loved.

"Aku no Chikara!" she cried. "Beast on!"

**A/N: Mele's henshin, 'Aku No Chikara' means 'Power Of Evil'. **


	4. Battles

Back at the SCRTCH base, Ran and Jan were on standby, silently waiting for word of Retsu.

"Everyone," Miki called. "I think I've found him."

Ran felt her heart leap. "Really?" she asked, jumping to her feet. She and Jan ran over to Miki's desk. Miki typed in a few lines of code, then an image came through on her screen. It was what appeared to be Retsu, flanked by Rio and a horde of Rinshi.

"Retsu?" Ran said aloud. "What is he doing with Rio?"

On the screen, Rio shouted, "Rinshi, attack!" The undead soldiers began randomly attacking citizens, while Rio watched with and arrogant smirk. His enslaved warrior looked upon the destruction, and his face twisted with anger. He tried to charge, but Rio held him back.

"Don't worry," Rio told him. "You'll get your turn soon enough. Once those Geki Jyuuken brats get here."

"It can't be," Ran said. "What has he done to Retsu?"

Master Shafu shook his head. "Rio has warped the mind of one of our own. He no doubt intends to fight fire with fire."

"What should we do?" Ran asked.

"You must use whatever means necessary to bring him back. Go now."

Ran nodded, and she and Jan were off.

Miki turned back to her computer and frowned. "That's odd," she said as she typed in a few lines of code. "There's no way that could be Retsu. His bio-signature is only an eighty percent match. Should we tell them?"

"No," Master Shafu said. "This will no doubt be the most intense training these students have ever faced. Weather or not they succeed, that is in their hands."

Ran and Jan arrived at the scene of the battle. They charged the Rinshi and engaged them in combat. As usual, the undead ones were no match for their skill. They finished them, then turned to Rio. He smirked at them.

"Gekirangers," he said, his cocky amusement coloring his tone. "Come to fight me in vain. How delicious."

"Rio!" Ran shouted. "What have you done to Retsu?"

"You mean you don't know?" he asked. "I would have thought that you could hear his agonized screams resounding within your hearts as he suffers; a testament to your disgusting bond. Look; the warrior you see before you is not your friend."

"You . . ." Ran growled, her voice reverberating with all the scorn she held for the traitor standing in front of her. "You've twisted his mind against us! I'll never forgive you!"

"You're even more naïve then I thought," Rio spat. "I had Mele take care of the little Jaguar brat."

"What are you talking about?!" Jan yelled.

Rio turned to his cold, unthinking soldier. "Attack," he commanded coolly.

Instantly, his fighter's body began to glow in a hazy black aura, radiating pure Jyuuken power. The overflowing energy formed the image of a blazing panther.

"No way," Jan said faintly.

The fiery Geki beast charged them.

"Beast on!" Jan and Ran cried out frantically. Their Geki armor barely found its way to their bodies before they were hit with the raw power of the attack. Sparks shot in all directions as they flew into the air and crashed to the earth once more.

"Beast on!" Mele cried, her call echoing throughout the RinJyuDen lair. She pressed the activation on the Geki Changer, but nothing happened.

She looked at the changer in dismay. "What is this?"

"Didn't you know, Mele?" Retsu said. "Those are Geki Changers. They only respond to Geki; the power that overflows from the heart of one who fights for justice. No amount of evil could bring out their true power."

Mele pouted, realizing that the changers offered her no advantage and quickly ripped them from her wrists, throwing them to the ground just out of Retsu's reach.

"Fine! You can keep your pathetic justice. It's an affront to all RinJyuDen! I will use the one true power, the power of Rinki to destroy you!" Mele changed to her chameleon form and aimed a vicious tongue strike right at Retsu's heart.

But Retsu was too fast. Before her strike could make contact, he dodged to one side and held out the chain that was shackled to his wrist in the way of her attack. Her tongue struck the metal links with great force, and they shattered.

With his hands free, Retsu could reach his Geki Changers. He quickly grabbed them and locked them onto his hands.

Mele retracted her tongue and poised herself to strike again.

"Tagire! Kemono no Chikara!"

Her chameleon tongue came out like a whip, slicing through the air at toward Retsu's unprotected body at deadly speed. Time seemed to slow as his hands came to his changers.

"Beast on!"

Mele's strike made contact, and there was an enormous explosion. Smoke filled the air, and fire flooded the entire cell.

Mele smiled to herself. _I did it_, she thought. _I eliminated one of the Geki Rangers. Now Rio-sama will love me! _

Suddenly, Mele realized that in her excitement, she had forgotten to retract her tongue. She began to pull it back, but for some reason, it wouldn't come. Harder and harder she pulled, but there was something holding it back.

As the smoke cleared, the figure of a warrior clad in blue Geki Jyuuken armor came into view. In his hand he held her tongue.

"You!" She cried in indignation.

Retsu pulled back hard on her tongue, sending her flying into the back wall of the cell. He then tore of the rest of his chains and ran out of the cell, shutting and locking the cell door behind him.

Mele pounded on the cell door. "You let me out of here, or you will taste destruction!" She screamed.

"You can do nothing to me, Mele! The souls of those who fight for justice will never taste destruction. And when this battle is over, Rio will never again thrive on the screams of anyone to whom he has brought suffering." And with that, Retsu ran off to help his comrades.

He just hoped that time hadn't run out.

A/N: Okay, I know this chapter was loooooooong overdue. Sorry about that. I've gotten back into the game, and you can expect chapter 5 pretty soon. Don't forget to review!


	5. Found and lost

Rio laughed as Jan and Ran tried to rise to their feel, still stunned from the blast.

"You really thought you could protect this world from the superior Jyuuken? How pathetic. You can't even save yourselves now. Your comrade's death was in vain."

"It can't be . . . Retsu . . ." Ran beat the ground with her fist. "Unforgivable!" She got up and charged toward the Panther Ken user.

"Beast on!" he cried. His body was instantly covered in a black and silver armor that resembled the Geki suits. Without seeming to exert any effort, he blocked Ran's lightening-fast attacks and sent her flying back.

"Ran!" Jan cried. He turned to their opponent. "You ZowaZowa bastard!" He ran in and engaged the fighter. They traded a few blows, but Jan was quickly overcome. He retreated and went over to help Ran up. Ran got to her feet and she and Jan called their Geki weapons.

"Geki Nunchaku!"

"Geki Hammer!"

They charged together. The opposing fighter did nothing to stop them; he merely stood there as they struck him with everything they had. Sparks flew from his body, but he still remained standing, seeming unscathed.

"No way," Jan said faintly.

Rio sneered at their efforts. His Rin Jyuuken soldier drew upon his power and retaliated, his body radiating a hazy black aura of Rinki. "Rin Jyu! Hu-tou-gou!" he called. A pair of black and silver hook swords materialized into his hands. He advanced toward his Geki opponents, wielding his dual weapons with amazing, masterful skill. Ran and Jan tried to block his blows, but it was futile. The silver curved blades struck them, laying into their already damaged bodies again and again. They fell to the ground once more and their morphed form shattered, leaving them completely vulnerable. 

The black-armored warrior sheathed his hook swords and returned to his master's side. Rio's cocky smirk broke out into a diabolical grin.

"You have failed!" he declared. "Geki Jyuuken has fallen. Now, those of you who practice it will die, unless you pledge yourselves to the superiority of Rin Jyuuken and bow down before me."

Jan tried to rise, but he couldn't even pick himself up off the pavement. His body, once proclaimed to be unbreakable, was too battered to go on.

Ran drew in a labored breath. "Never!" she screamed. With great struggle, she brought herself to her feet. "We will never bow to you, Rio! The earth will never surrender to you, or to your sick conquest for power at all costs. You betrayed us; all of Geki Jyuuken, and you killed a great man, one who joined Jyuuken to find the beauty of the art. I will never forgive you for killing the man that I loved. I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

Jan looked up at Ran in amazement. "Ran . . ." he breathed.

Rio chuckled. "You're all so weak, with your pathetic emotions like love and giving in to such lowly things as to care for others. Those things will only get in the way of attaining true power." He turned to his subordinate. "Finish them," he ordered.

Rio's minion nodded his understanding, then drew his hook swords once more. He focused his Rinki into them, and they began to glow as they filled with power. With a deadly precise slash, he released the energy, sending it hurtling toward Ran and Jan.

Ran saw the blast coming at them, and she knew there was no way either of them could stop it. She put her hands up and turned her eyes away, awaiting the last blow she would ever take.

An explosion sounded, and the smell of burning filled the air. But none of it even touched her.

Ran looked up, wondering what was happening. 

Retsu was standing in front of her, fully armored and facing the attacker. In his hands he held his Geki Fan, and she saw that he had used it to deflect the attack. He turned to face her.

"Ran? Are you okay?" he asked.

"Retsu . . ." she breathed. "You're alive." 

He gently stroked her cheek with his gloved hand. "And so are you," he said softly. "I was afraid I'd never see you again."

Rio sneered. "Jaguar brat!" he called. "Here to save your friends. How sickening." He paused to give Retsu a smile that was filled with twisted pleasure. "It's only too bad you couldn't save your brother."

Retsu looked to his opponent. The other fighter's armor disappeared, revealing a face that Retsu could never fail to recognize.

"Nii-san!" he cried. 

Rio chuckled evilly. "I had wanted you to live to feel the anguish, but I'll settle for your destruction. And how delicious that it be by your precious brother's hand." He shrugged. "At least I can go on knowing that in your last terror-filled moments of life, you felt not only the pain of having lost one of your own, but the humiliation of knowing that you were too weak to stop it."

Retsu's hand clenched into a fist. "Never!" He turned to his brother. "Tetsu Nii-san, you've got to fight this! Don't give in. Remember who you are!"

Tetsu smirked, then reactivated his armor. As it materialized onto his body, his hook swords reappeared in his hands. For a moment, he stood motionless, awaiting his orders.

A smirk spread out across Rio's face. "Attack," he commanded.

Retsu assumed a defensive stance as Tetsu charged. He blocked with his Geki Fan as best as he could, but Tetsu was too fast for him. The hook sword tore into his blue armor and sent him staggering back.

Tetsu rushed him again. This time, Retsu dodged and countered with a skillful slice of his fan. Tetsu took the blow without seeming to be affected at all. Then he got an opening on Retsu and cut into him several times with his hook swords. 

It was too much for Retsu to handle. His beaten, depleted body fell to the ground, and his armor disappeared. 

Rio's laughter rang out through the air as Tetsu strode toward his fallen opponent. He picked Retsu up by the collar of his Jyuuken jacket, ready to finish him off. 

"Nii-san . . ." Retsu said faintly. "Please don't do this."

Tetsu stopped. His armor deactivated, and he released Retsu's collar. He looked confused, but recognition could be seen in his eyes. "Retsu?" he said questioningly.

Rio's face went dark. "That's enough!" He tore off his cape and activated his Rinki. "Lion Ken!" he cried. Rio's Rin beast slashed Tetsu in the back with its claws.

Tetsu fell to the ground in a heap. Rio walked over and kicked him. "Get up," he ordered. "We're going back." His fighter obediently rose to his feet and staggered after him. Then they disappeared.

Ran rushed to Retsu's side. "Retsu! Are you okay?" 

Retsu opened his eyes. His lip was bloody and his face was swollen and bruised. But even though he was heavily beaten, nothing was as painful as the look of sadness in his eyes.

"He's gone," Retsu said.


End file.
